LEBRON, DURANT HEAD USA'S OLYMPIC ROSTER - Hoopsfix.com
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LEBRON, DURANT HEAD USA’S OLYMPIC ROSTER

By on July 7, 2012

LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant headline the USA men’s 12-man roster for the Olympic Games in London.

The squad, which will face Great Britain in a friendly in Manchester on July 19 as part of its build-up, was announced on Saturday night in Las Vegas where the team has opened training camp.

Beset by several withdrawals due to injury or personal issues, the group was already down to 15 with world championships winners Eric Gordon and Rudy Gay missing out, along with number one draft pick Anthony Davis.

“We have benefited so much from having a pool of outstanding players who are committed, and as a result the selection is difficult. But it’s the best challenge that you could have because everyone has been so committed,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

“The guys who were not selected are in our pool, and if someone did get hurt, they are already part of our team and could be seamlessly woven in at a later date. We really appreciate the commitment of all of these guys.”

The squad is: Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks);Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Blake Griffin(Los Angeles Clippers); James Harden (Oklahoma City Thunder); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); LeBron James (Miami Heat); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers); Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder); and Deron Williams (Brooklyn Nets).

The USA roster features five members of the 2008 gold medal-winning team from Beijing  (Anthony, Bryant, James, Paul and Williams), five members of the 2010 World Championship team (Chandler, Durant, Iguodala, Love and Westbrook), and two newcomers (Griffin and Harden).

“We projected we would have difficulty getting down to a roster of 12, regardless of the number of injuries that have taken place, because they are such an outstanding group of people and athletes,” USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo said.

“The final selections keep us in concert with our game plan to have athleticism, versatility and strong depth on our roster. I think our final roster epitomises all of that.”

The USA will also face Brazil, Spain and Argentina in the run-in to London.

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